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Google says it offset all of the emissions it has ever generated
Google eliminates its 'entire carbon legacy' and plans to use only clean energy by 2030.
Honda will offset 60 percent of its US electricity use with wind and solar
Honda plans to cover 60 percent of the electricity used at its North American manufacturing plants with renewable energy. Beginning next fall, Honda will purchase 530,000 MWh per year from the Boiling Spring Wind Farm in Oklahoma. In fall 2021, it will begin receiving 482,000 MWh per year from a Texas solar facility. According to Honda, this deal is the largest single purchase of solar and wind power by any automaker.
DARPA wants your gaming tactics for its drone army
Urban areas continue to vex the US military as tall buildings and narrow streets keep impeding troop communications and tactics. While ground soldiers have used single drones for years, DARPA believes that a whole swarm could mitigate those disadvantages, giving units more eyes and guns. Since the military is currently unable to control such swarms, DARPA is launching a new program to develop both drone-wrangling tech and the tactics they'd need to assist soldiers in urban environments. Oh, and they want video gamers to playtest the best strategies.
Microsoft puts a price on carbon, says its footprint will be neutral by July
We've seen quite a few tech companies boast about their environmental efforts in recent years, and it looks like you can now also add Microsoft to the list of those attempting to be carbon neutral. As you might expect, while that includes some alternative energy efforts and energy-saving measures, it also makes use of a carbon offset program to make up the difference, which will see Microsoft put money into an internal fund for emissions it's not able to offset through other means. That means Microsoft will be able to declare itself carbon neutral fairly soon -- by the start of the 2013 fiscal year, to be specific, which actually begins this July. You can find additional details on the initiative in the company's blog post on the subject, and yet more in the white paper linked below.
Gordon Murray's electric T.27 city car crashed in the name of science, holds up beautifully
We asked for some crazy things in our vision of the car of the future, and we're learning that many of them can be found in Gordon Murray's implementation of his car of tomorrow, the T.27. EV power? Check. Odd central seating? Check. Racing-inspired safety measures? Double-check, as evidenced by these crash test photos which, as you can see, are remarkably close to the company's computer simulations. It's a tiny thing, just a little over eight feet long and weighing under 1,500lbs, though for that you'll get a top seed of about 65mph and a range of between 80 and 100 miles -- and the ability to run into a wall at a 40 percent offset without injury. Running prototypes are expected on the road in just a few months and, with any luck, production versions of this (and the gasoline-powered T.25) could be hitting the streets by next year. %Gallery-114753%
Rumor: Chinese manufacturers building cases (with cameras) for new iPod touch, nano
Here's a story that, strangely, makes sense. Cult of Mac is saying that these cases above are already being made by Chinese manufacturers, in advance of what they call the "worst-kept secret in China": that Apple will be announcing new versions of the iPod touch and the iPod nano in September, complete with cameras on both. These aren't cases comissioned by Apple, they're Chinese companies that have supposedly heard about the dimensions and feature placement of Apple's next products, and are making third-party accessories to match, even before the official announcement here in the US.Apparently these guys heard about the dimensions back in May, and they're so certain of the information that they're shipping samples and taking orders from US retailers. True or not? We have no idea -- certainly there's enough photos of the new cases on Cult of Mac's site to be convinced, and that Apple would release new versions of popular iPods right before back to school and the holidays isn't just believable, it's business as usual.But the camera on there is the interesting move -- is it a video or still camera? Why is the iPod touch's camera centered instead of offset like every other iPhone camera? Will there be new software capabilities for taking and sharing pictures on these devices? That's all still up in the air. We guess we'll find out in a few months.[via Silicon Alley Insider]
Project Offset viral campaign unearthed
Okay, let's get a few things clear. One, Project Offset is a team-based FPS set in a fantasy universe. Two, that is one mean looking crocodile beasty thing. Three, said beasty is wearing a saddle, so you must be able to ride it. In short, it's awesomeness on a stick. On ... a ... stick. The Project Offset website hasn't been officially updated since October of last year, so we were pretty damned excited when we found out about a new viral campaign. According to VE3D, the viral site is recording unique IP addresses. When a certain number is reached, a new image becomes available. So, get to it fanboys! Together, we can crack this thing wide open![Via VE3D]
